Blanco Canyon is a canyon located in the U.S. state of Texas . Eroded by the White River into the Caprock Escarpment on the east side of the Llano Estacado , the canyon runs for 34 miles (55 km) in a southeasterly direction, gradually widening from its beginning in southwestern Floyd County to 10 miles (16 km) across at its mouth in southeastern Crosby County . It also gradually deepens from 50 feet (15 m) at its beginning to 300 to 500 feet (91 to 150 m) at its mouth. One side canyon, 5-mile long Crawfish Canyon, was cut by Crawfish Creek as it feeds into the White River from the west.
20-481: Blanco Canyon is one of several canyons that have been cut by rivers into the east face of the Llano Estacado, including Yellow House Canyon , Tule Canyon, and Palo Duro Canyon . The canyon was long suspected, but only confirmed in the 1990s, of having been used as a campsite by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado and his army twice in spring of 1541 while on his El Dorado expedition. The water and timber afforded by
40-484: A distance resembled houses with open doors." Within the city limits of Lubbock, Yellow House Canyon remains a narrow and shallow channel with a typical width of less than 0.5 km (0.31 mi) and a typical depth of not more than 20 m (66 ft). Here, the city of Lubbock has constructed a series of small dams that form a series of narrow lakes, collectively known as Canyon Lakes. The Canyon Lakes park offers conservation areas and recreational opportunities on
60-586: A permanent installation in front of the TTU School of Architecture) which inspired him to build something bigger to live in. Made of weathering steel and weighing 110 tons on four hollow legs, the 2,200 square foot house on three levels was completed 10 months before his death in 2008. In 1982, he and wife, Patricia Mills, founded P&R Surge Systems. Robert, General contractor, Rick Denser, Master Stone Mason, Manfred Kaiter and Venture Capitalist, Mark Lawson started work on Lawson's 460 ton Rock House in 1991, which
80-826: Is a town in Lubbock County of West Texas , United States. The population was 1,189 at the 2020 census . It is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area . The town of Ransom Canyon is located within Yellow House Canyon , at the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado . Yellow House Canyon was carved by the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River . This stream has been dammed multiple times to form Buffalo Springs Lake and Lake Ransom Canyon. According to
100-520: Is crossed north-to-south by U.S. Highway 62 near the canyon's beginning, and east-to-west by Farm to Market Road 193 and U.S. Highway 82 , the latter being near the canyon's mouth. Where U.S. 82 crosses the White River, a roadside park with facilities and hiking trails has been built. Yellow House Canyon Yellow House Canyon is about 32 km (20 mi) long, heading in Lubbock, Texas , at
120-594: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 0.93 square miles (2.4 km ), of which 0.77 square miles (2.0 km ) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km ), or 16.38%, is water. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ransom Canyon has a semi-arid climate , abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 1,189 people, 400 households, and 309 families residing in
140-586: The North Fork crosses Texas Farm to Market Road 400 , the canyon is nearly 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and 60 m (200 ft) deep. Further downstream, near the confluence of Plum Creek and the North Fork, the walls of the canyon begin to curve sharply outward as the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River flows out of the canyon and onto the rolling plains of West Texas. Ransom Canyon, Texas Ransom Canyon
160-400: The White River and the trees growing along its banks would have provided an ideal campsite in the 16th century. Indeed, although the river is mostly dry now due to pumping , local anecdotes maintain that fishing was possible in the river until the mid-20th century. The canyon valley still appears fertile, and cottonwood trees line the creek bed. It was on October 10, 1871, also the site of
180-600: The area. In 1948, the District Nine of the Caprock-Plains Baptist churches established the Plains Baptist Assembly in the canyon as a recreational retreat for area churches. By 1986, the site encompassed 160 acres (0.65 km) and 65 buildings. Today, it runs year-round and features facilities for camps, retreats, and conferences. Floydada 's country club is also located in the canyon. The canyon
200-403: The average family size was 2.76. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 36.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males. The median income for a household in the town
220-465: The junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw , and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Slaton, Texas ; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of the Llano Estacado and carries the waters of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River . The name has an XIT Ranch heritage, according to Gary and Margaret Kraisinger, in that "the yellow cliffs which from
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#1732859115219240-650: The main skirmish of Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie 's initial campaign against the Plains Comanches , known as the Battle of Blanco Canyon . On this same campaign, Mackenzie established a supply camp named Anderson's Fort on a curved ridge a short distance southeast of the canyon mouth; it is now on the National Register of Historic Places . Shortly thereafter, once the Plains Indians had been forced onto reservations ,
260-468: The nearby site of Mount Blanco on the east rim of the canyon was established in 1877 by Henry Clay Smith and his wife, the former Elizabeth Boyle, as the first permanent white settlement on the West Texas plains , and the first post office west of Fort Griffin . Early settlers were attracted to the site for the same reason as Coronado had been - the ready supply of wood and water, which were rarities in
280-405: The population. There were 404 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.0% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.1% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and
300-510: The town. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,011 people, 404 households, and 338 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,213.1 inhabitants per square mile (468.4/km ). There were 412 housing units at an average density of 494.4 per square mile (190.9/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 95.25% White , 0.40% African American , 0.20% Native American , 0.40% Asian , 2.57% from other races , and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.85% of
320-400: The water and in the narrow park along the water's edge. As Yellow House Canyon extends outside the city limits of Lubbock, the canyon gradually widens and deepens. Around 15 km (9.3 mi) to the east-southeast of Lubbock, a dam was constructed to form Buffalo Springs Lake , a recreational lake that now inundates the site of the main springs, though the springs continue to flow beneath
340-427: The waters of the lake. Immediately downstream of Buffalo Springs Lake is a much smaller dam that forms another recreational lake named Lake Ransom Canyon, where numerous single-family homes surround the lake to form the community of Ransom Canyon, Texas . Downstream of Ransom Canyon, the North Fork is finally allowed to flow freely across sparsely populated ranchland as the canyon continues to deepen and widen. Where
360-493: Was $ 78,427, and the median income for a family was $ 85,944. Males had a median income of $ 50,000 versus $ 34,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 45,675. None of the families and 0.6% of the population were living below the poverty line , including no under eighteens and 0.7% of those over 64. Ransom Canyon is served by the Roosevelt and Slaton Independent School Districts. Robert R. Bruno Jr. (1945–2008)
380-681: Was a sculptor and inventor who was born in Los Angeles in 1945, Robert grew up in Mexico and the United States before attending Dominican College in Racine, Wisconsin and graduate school at the University of Notre Dame . He moved to Lubbock in 1971 to teach art at Texas Tech University 's school of architecture. He started working on The Steel House in 1973, two years after sculpting a similar piece of art, (now
400-464: Was inspired by the work of Antoni Gaudi . On June 25 and 26, 2013, Ransom Canyon was the site of a Vogue (magazine) fall-fashion photo shoot. Three models, Raquel Zimmermann , Toni Garrn and brother Niklas Garrn, were photographed by Steven Klein in and around Robert Bruno's steel house, sometimes wearing Google Glass . Photographs appear in the September 2013 issue of Vogue. The Steel House
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